


Vapors/Clarity Fan Drabbles

by CrownsofLaurels (laurel1020)



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Gen, Multi, Other, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-30 11:24:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3935056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurel1020/pseuds/CrownsofLaurels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These are drabbles written in the course of reading Vapors and Clarity by Electrasev5n. They came about because of conversations I had with her about her ongoing chapters. If you have not read Vapors and/or Clarity, you will have no idea what these are about. If you are a fan of Vapors and/or Clarity, then enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Obito & Aiko re Dogs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Electrasev5n](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrasev5n/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Vapors](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1377508) by [Electrasev5n](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrasev5n/pseuds/Electrasev5n). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During early Clarity, sometime in the bat-cave:

“No.” Obito said flatly, voice tight with stress.

“Why not?” Aiko responded flippantly, not yet able to easily catch-on to the subtle, nonverbal cues which the general population used to avoid stirring up deeply hidden emotional trauma in others.

Instead she focused on her new present, thrilled to have finally gotten her way.

“I think it’s a great name,” she said sincerely.

The brown ball of fluff she was holding in front of her face must have thought so too. It licked her nose.

“It’s just not—no,” stuttered Obito, hands flailing a bit and the side of his face which was capable of movement formed a fierce frown. “Because I said so!” He crossed his arms as if that would end the argument.

“Phfft,” Aiko snorted rudely, before burying her face in the warm fur and cuddling the squeaking thing close. The canine smell was comforting and familiar in a way that not many things had been since she’d, well, died.

“Look,” Obito’s voice had taken on an unflatteringly, high, feminine-ish pitch that bordered on hysterical, “I bought it, I should at least have some say in this process. You can’t name the dog Tobi!”

The puppy barked from the safety of Aiko’s arms. Aiko beamed. “He knows his name already,” she crooned.

Obito slumped in exaggerated defeat.

“Who's a good boy?” Gushed Aiko, rubbing her face against the adorable snuggly puppy, “Tobi’s a good boy! Yes he is, yes he is!”

Obito made a strange croaking sound, but as Aiko couldn’t see any blood, she seriously doubted he was dying.


	2. Aiko/Kakashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Aiko and Kakashi really were together, how long would it take Naruto to find out? (Heads up, this chapter is also Sasuke/Naruto)

Naruto grinned as he blew out the 28 candles on the cake (Aiko refused to assist, oh well, more fun for him).

"Did you make a wish," his sister teased indulgently from across the table, wedged between Kakashi and Sai. The latter looked absolutely ridiculous with his bland expression and obnoxiously bright party hat with the sparkly pom-poms.

“Of course I did,” Naruto crowed. He didn’t have a lot of things to wish for this year. He’d just finished his first year leading the village and nothing had blown up or been invaded yet. He hadn’t caused any international incidents (except that one with the thing and the geckos, but no hokage or ninja were involved in that and, anyway, toads were so much cooler so what did it matter). “But I’m not telling you,” he sing-songed in a way that he knew got under Aiko’s skin.

"You’re such a brat,” muttered Karin from Naruto’s left. Aiko rolled her eyes and her party hat tilted to the side precariously. Kakashi's had mysteriously vanished and his hand twitched every once in a while like he was refraining from pulling out a kunai (or, more likely, a familiar orange book).

Naruto turned to look at his—boyfriend? Eh, just didn’t sound right. Lover? Partner? Partner sounded good. Sasuke was scowling at his purple and orange hat at it sat innocently on the table in front of him. Naruto nudged Sasuke's shoulder, and Sasuke rolled his eyes but dutifully turned his attention back to the blond. Family dinners were so awesome. Naruto loved them, especially now that he and Sasuke had finally straightened out that whatever-it-was that was between them.

“Do we eat the cake now?” Sai’s query was polite in form if not timeliness.

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto waved his hands and moved to pick up the serving knife, only to have it snatched away by Karin.

“No way,” Karin sniffed, “I want to eat the cake, not have it dropped on the floor. Let Hinata or Yamato cut it.”

“That was one time,” Naruto protested, but it feel on deaf ears as the waitress came around and refilled everyone’s drinks, doling out the absurd amount of alcohol Naruto had ordered (what could he say, he had a high tolerance).

“Once is enough,” Karin sniped back at him as Yamato took the serving knife with the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Whatever,” Naruto huffed, before his gaze settled on his twin. “Did you make a wish?”

“Maybe.” Aiko said mysteriously scraping a finger through some of the frosting on the edge of the cake and sticking it in her mouth despite Yamato’s offended squawk. Naruto grinned, recalling how many times she had done that when making ‘cupcakes’ growing up, but Aiko wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at Kakashi, and Kakashi was looking back at her. Despite the mask covering his face, Kakashi’s expression struck Naruto as oddly familiar.

Naruto’s brown furrowed. _I’ve seen that look before, I know I have_. Naruto leaned back as he observed the two, trying to place the expression, the answer teasing the edge of his memory. A harsh pinch of his elbow had him blinking and turning to his right.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sasuke asked with a mild frown, “You were a million miles away for a minute.”

The soft chatter of the rest of the table’s occupants washed over them soothingly. “Just thinking,” Naruto offered, face resuming its usual grin.

"Well, that would explain it." Sasuke’s shoulders relaxed and he snorted. “I know what a hard task that is for you,” said the man, fond tone contradicting the inherently sarcastic response.

 _OH_ , thought Naruto. _That’s the look. It’s the same one that Sasuke gives me when he’s thinking I’m such a dork but he wants to kiss me anyway---_ Naruto’s thoughts stopped in his brain with the abrupt clatter of a train-crash. His head whipped around to the copy ninja and his blue eyes widened. “ _ **You**_ ,” he hissed in a tone that stilled all the other conversations at the table, “are you sleeping with my sister?” The words came out in a fierce croak accompanied with an accusatory pointing finger.

Kakashi’s single visible droopy gray eye widened, and he looked to Aiko, as if for guidance.

“You are,” said Naruto, a little louder, “you’re sleeping with my sister!”

“Naruto,” Aiko stated calmly, eyes narrowing, “I’m a grown adult, and my personal relationships are none of your business.”

“It is when you’re sleeping with men!” Naruto spluttered angrily, pitch high enough that Sasuke physically flinched next to him.

Aiko sighed, "I’m not going to stay if you throw a fit Naruto. My relationships are my business.”

“Relationships?” Naruto looked around wildly, “You’ve had more than one?”

Aiko pursed her lips, “I’ve been with Kakashi for almost a decade, Naruto.”

“And who were you with before that,” insisted Naruto, eyes honing in on Sai when the boy flinched.

His betrayed blue eyes quickly flittered back to his sister.

“I was with Sai before my-- _injury_ ,” drawled the red head.

The rest of the table held their breath as they watched the drama unfold.

Naruto gaped, looking from Sai to Aiko and back again, “why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Sai frowned and then looked inquisitively at Aiko, “I was instructed that it was considered rude to discuss a woman’s state of undress and the matters that occurred in conjunction therewith.”

“Still is Sai,” Aiko said flatly, looking intently at her fork.

Flustered, Naruto stood to his feet, sharply pointing a shaky hand across the table and screeching (and of course, drawing the attention of anyone in the restaurant who hadn't yet curiously looked over at the raised voice of the Hokage), "Anyone who hasn't slept with my sister, raise your hand."

There was disturbing lack of movement from Aiko's side of the table, except that which came from Aiko slapping a hand to her face.

"It was only the one time," protested Yamato desperately, holding both hands palm out as if to calm down the irate blond, "we were all really drunk."

"That's not an excuse!" Shrieked Naruto, practically foaming at the mouth.

"All?" Said Sasuke faintly, raising an eyebrow.

An unbecoming red flush covered the captain's face, while Aiko turned her eyes heavenward, as if praying for divine intervention, and Kakashi looked even more uncomfortable, if that were possible.

"I was not involved in that," Sai said blandly.

Karin whistled appreciatively as Hinata blushed in sympathy for Yamato's embarrassment and politely hid her smile behind her hand.

Naruto gaped, jaw hanging open for a good forty seconds, until Sasuke cleared his throat and tugged the military leader on the verge of a panic attack back down into his seat.

"I think you finally managed to break him, Aiko," Sasuke drawled, trying to regain his own composure after the revelations.

Naruto let out an incomprehensible gurgle.

Karin snickered, "So as the only woman present with threesome experience, is it something I should put on my bucket list?"

Yamato buried his head in his hand with a strange sob and Kakashi's eye widened even more as he twitched in response to the question and looked longingly at the exit.

A faint blush colored Aiko's nose and cheeks as she tried to school her expression in the face of Naruto's betrayed blue eyes. "I'd do it again," she said, before she tossed back the shot glass in front of her, and downed three of Naruto’s, too, for good measure.

* * *

 

Karin left the dinner disappointed that she never got to try the cake (again) as Naruto had inexplicably wasted it by smashing it over Kakshi's head. Wasted for her, of course, Aiko and Kakashi had shun-shined away after the incident, and if she were Aiko--well, it would be a shame to let such a good opportunity go to waste. She giggled. That was probably the opposite of what Naruto wanted to encourage. Hopefully he'd realize that somewhere entertainingly public. Like in his meeting with the Kazekage tomorrow. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another "how long would it take Naruto to discover Kakashi/Aiko" drabble.

“Are you serious?” Aiko asked weakly, staring at the wall over Tsunade’s shoulder.

Tsunade glared at her with irritated honey-colored eyes, “No, I’ve been joking for the past forty five minutes; you’ve actually got an incurable disease and have only one month to live.”

“Really,” Aiko asked, eyes widening with hope.

Tsunade scowled and swatted her with a rolled up brochure that she then pressed into the girl’s hands.

“And I’m docking your latest paycheck,” Tsunade added as an afterthought as she gathered her medical charts, getting ready to leave.

“What for?” Perked up Aiko indignantly.

“For idiocy and being a pain in my ass,” Tsunade sneered as she walked out the door, muttering something about using the money to pay off a bet she’d just lost to Aiko’s godfather. (At least, Aiko assumed that was who the woman meant by ‘scruffy old pervert’).

Aiko refrained from telling the blond that she didn’t have the authority to do that now that she’d passed her hat on to Naruto. She imagined Tsunade could find a way around such a minor obstacle as legalities easily enough. She bit her lip and looked at her own folder of papers and the bottle of pills Tsunade had tossed at her head about twenty minutes ago.

Shit.

This was supposed to be a routine health check-up after that nasty flu she’d had two months ago. She’d felt perfectly fine, which was why she’d put this off for two months instead of the two weeks it should have been. 

And now she was going to have to figure out how to tell everybody.

Double shit. 

She took a deep breath, this wasn’t the end of the world; it had been on her to-do list for a while, she’d just thought she’d be getting around to it later rather than sooner.

Aiko groaned and reluctantly pulled herself together to go hunt down the other party to this conundrum. No way she was going to face the music on this one on her own. 

Two weeks later, Aiko had finally managed to gather everyone she needed to together for a ‘family’ dinner. That meant that Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin invaded her apartment and squabbled over how to properly set the table while a flustered Yamato tried to ‘help’ Aiko put a meal together. Thank god Hinata followed Yamato around and subtly corrected all of his mistakes or they’d probably be ordering take out, which would only start a fight in which all Naruto did, despite being 31, was run around the apartment chanting ‘Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!’ at the top of his lungs.

Kakashi slid into his chair at the table just as Aiko set the last dish down on the table. She gave him the stinkeye and he blinked back at her innocently, not even having the decency to look slightly sheepish.

She was going to stab him with a salad fork.

But first, she had to deal with her irritating twat of a twin.

“Naruto,” Aiko said, a touch impatient, “get out of my seat.”

Naruto turned blue eyes on her, “What?”

Technically, they’d never had seats before, but Naruto had slipped into the empty chair between Kakashi and Sasuke, and that was where Aiko wanted to sit tonight and if he didn’t move so help her—“Get out of my seat,” Aiko repeated herself through clenched teeth.

Naruto laughed, “Someone is possessive about the furniture tonight! Does this one have more cushioning?” He grinned up at her cheekily, “What’d ya’ do? Fall and bruise your tailbone again?”

Aiko reached for a butter knife, but fortunately, Sasuke had enough common sense to slide over a chair and pull his significant, oblivious other out of imminent harm’s way. She exhaled slowly and dropped into the vacant chair, forcing herself not to react when Naruto muttered something about her being so moody lately under his breath.

Kakashi’s foot tapped lightly against hers under the table and she looked up to catch his concerned eye. She gave him a tight smile, “Everything’s fine.”

“What’s fine,” Naruto said next to her, talking with his mouth open; some leaves of lettuce falling out of his mouth. Sasuke cuffed him upside the head. “Abuse, abuse!” Naruto flailed about and Aiko grimaced as she got accidentally elbowed in the arm.

She was so glad Naruto’s table manners were Sasuke’s problem now.

Aiko rubbed her head wearily and took a huge bite of salad to keep from having to say anything. Despite having gotten everyone together for dinner, she really had no idea how to make this announcement. She wasn’t very good with these sorts of things. She knew girls who’d done really cutesy announcements or used balloons or thrown an entire party just for this sort of thing. 

Aiko really didn’t want to be the center of attention; she’d rather not make any announcement. She’d told Kakashi of course, but apart from him she really didn’t feel like sharing such personal details. However, this group of people probably deserved to know, and things were going to get awkward pretty quickly if she didn’t come out about it now. Not like she could hide this forever. 

She poked at a tomato viciously, bringing it to her lips and pausing when she realized her salad was all gone. She eyed Naruto’s plate suspiciously, had he taken hers? She didn’t remember eating an entire salad. Naruto caught her coveting his food and he pulled it further away, sticking out his tongue.

Aiko huffed and reached for the salad bowl, emptying the rest of it onto her plate. Naruto doesn’t even like vegetables, what’s his problem? And these tomatoes are really excellent today, I’ll have to remember to purchase them from the same vendor the next time I go to the market.

She returned to thinking through her latest problem as Naruto entertained the entire table with some story about a miscommunication between him and the Raikage that had nearly sparked a border war last week. He, of course, found it all hilariously funny while it was still too soon for the rest of the group to do anything but smile queasily at the re-telling.

Maybe she should just be blunt. It’s not like dressing up the situation will actually changes the facts. Yup, straightforward was the way to go. Get all the pain over with quickly, in one go, just like ripping off a bandaid. 

Except—did she have to? Yes, yes she had to. Aiko set down her eating utensils. 

“I maybe kind-of, sort-of pregnant,” she said bluntly, interrupting the story.

Yamato and Kakashi started choking on their salads (and Kakashi even knew this, geeze, really?) Karin and Sasuke gaped at her, but Hinata helpfully leaned over to whack Yamato on the back and clear the man’s pipes.

Kakashi could choke and suffocate and die. This was all his fault. Ok, maybe not, that’s probably unfair, Aiko admitted with an internal sigh, she knew very well that it took two people to get into this kind of mess. Fortunately, Kakashi recovered and waved her away before she had a chance to hit him.

“You might be with the way you are eating,” Naruto laughed as if she’d told the best joke he’d heard all week. “I never knew you liked salad so much.”

Aiko felt her eye twitch nervously. She rubbed at it tiredly and grabbed a dinner roll, taking a few bites before it dawned on her that Naruto really didn’t believe her as he just launched back into his story. The rest of the table sat tensely, looking between Aiko and Naruto as if trying to determine if Aiko had been joking, as Naruto indicated, or actually relating a scary new form of reality. Aiko set the roll down and resisted the urge to hit her head against the table. 

“Naruto,” Aiko said flatly, “I’m expecting a kid.”

Naruto looked at Aiko then at the door. He frowned, “Right now? Why’d you invite someone over during dinner? You nearly bit my head off when I asked if I could invite Iruka.”  
A loud laugh burst from Karin and their red-headed cousin clapped a hand over her mouth to smother the rest that wanted to follow the first.

Sasuke worked his jaw open once and then shut it again, shaking his head.

Aiko tugged at her braid, “The kid’s not coming now, idiot, it’s still got more than half a year to stew.”

“You shouldn’t call children ‘it’, Aiko,” Naruto reprimanded in his Hokage voice. “And what do you mean stew, did he get in trouble or something? Did you find some academy student you want to train in this year’s graduating class?”

Bewildered, Aiko looked to Kakashi for help only to discover the copy ninja had pulled out Icha Icha and buried his head in it. She felt a strange sense of hysteria beginning to creep up on her. She didn’t do hysterics, what the hell was wrong with her?

“Aiko,” Naruto asked, “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Aiko repeated. “What’s wrong?” She felt out of control of her emotions. She hated this. She tossed her half-eaten roll at Naruto’s face.

“Hey!” He squawked, hands, failing.

Sasuke cleared his throat, apparently deciding it was his duty as her brother-in-law to intervene before she committed siblicide. 

“Moron,” Sasuke’s dark eyes glittered in amusement. 

Aiko wanted to throw a roll at him too. 

“Your sister is trying to tell you that you are going to be an Uncle.” Sasuke’s drawl was deep and smooth, until he hit the word ‘Uncle.’ Then what he was saying seemed to sink in and he turned to Aiko, “We’re going to be uncles?” He asked uncertainly.

Aiko nodded weakly.

“What.” Naruto’s voice was flat.

Aiko was suddenly, inexplicably exhausted. She’d had to deal with far too many people today, and Naruto alone was sufficient to drain her emotionally when he was having his particularly dense days. “I’m having a kid,” Aiko repeated. “I’m pregnant. I’m expecting. I’ve got a bun in the oven. I’m with child—“ Naruto’s flailing hands stopped Aiko from continuing to list off every expression for her situation that she could dredge out of the depths of her brain.

“I get it, I get it—“ Naruto stuttered, blushing. “Just how—“

Aiko looked dubiously at Sasuke, who just rolled his eyes.

“You know how, idiot,” Sasuke said, swatting Naruto to try and knock some sense into the man.  
(As if that would suddenly work after twenty five years of trying that particular method of correction).

“But who,” Naruto looked around the room eyes trembling.

Aiko stared intently at Kakashi, who continued to pretend his book was more captivating than Naruto’s rapidly encroaching meltdown.

Yamato started choking again. On his meat this time.

Karin started laughing and didn’t even try to stop, but Sasuke and Hinata continued to gaze expectantly at Aiko for the answer. 

Aiko cleared her throat. Loudly. And then she kicked Kakashi in the shin under the table. 

Kakashi’s head popped up and he glared at her resentfully. “Yes,” Kakashi said to the room, as if he was just tuning in to the conversation.

Naruto looked at him reproachfully, “Kakashi-sensei, some man knocked Aiko up and now she won’t tell us who it is so we can go kill him.”  
Kakashi plucked at the worn edges of his book and looked away from the piercing blue gaze.

Naruto scowled at Aiko, “You told Kakashi but you won’t tell us?”

Aiko sighed and began to butter another roll. 

Sasuke’s eyes widened with an epiphany and he whipped his head to Kakashi in betrayal and shock. Hinata caught on at the same time, but she just covered a smile politely with her hand. Aiko felt slightly relieved that Hinata was one less person with whom she was going to have to debate her life choices.

“Sensei,” Naruto whined, “I don’t get it, who hurt my sister?”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Aiko said, rolling her eyes. “Nobody hurt me. I didn’t exactly plan this but it was completely consensual. And you can’t kill my kid’s father unless you plan on volunteering for one a.m. feedings and diaper changes for a year or so.”

Kakashi gave Aiko a dark look. 

Yamato snickered, “Have fun with that, Senpai.”

“Why would he have fun—“ Narut’s electric blue eyes widened with shocked realization, “YOU SLEPT WITH MY SISTER!?!?!”

Aiko picked up the basket of dinner rolls and slipped away to her bedroom in the ensuing chaos, which included the table being overturned and some silverware being embedded in her ceiling. She summoned Hoseki and ordered her to oversee the cleanup once Sasuke managed to calm down her brother and not to let anyone leave until her home was spotless. Then Aiko laid down in bed, grabbed the trashy novel Karin had brought over demanding that she read, and proceeded to eat the rest of the dinner rolls all by herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Electra wanted Kakashi/Aiko/Yamato and then we had a really strange conversation about how 'purposeful' (for lack of a better word)/planned/organized Aiko would be a about having children...and then this happened.

"I had you taken off mission assignments next week," said Aiko calmly, flipping through a weapons catalog that Temari had brought recently from Suna and sipping at a glass of milk.

Yamato paused, a spoonful of cereal halfway to his face. He looked suspiciously at Kakashi, who hadn't looked up from his Icha Icha, implying that the copy ninja already knew where this conversation was going and wasn't going to let himself get drawn into this madness.

Yamato set his spoon down with a frown. "Aiko," he said, trying to sound patient, "just because your brother is the Hokage doesn't mean you can abuse your connections to take me off the mission roster whenever you want me to help with home improvement projects." Yamato really thought he'd convinced Naruto not to indulge the red head's impulses like this.

Aiko gave a hum that Yamato now knew meant she was humoring him and wouldn't be arguing that particular point at the moment, but didn't further explain her actions.

Ymatato sighed, "so what is it you need me to do this time? Did the hellions break that tree house already?" He took a large bite of his cereal, with a big gulp of milk to wash it down.

"Oh, no," said Aiko, calmly turning a page in her magazine, "It's just that I'm ovulating next week and I need you to be home."

Yamato spewed out his cereal over the table. "Excuse me," said Yamato, voice raspy from shock. 

Aiko wrinkled her nose as she used a napkin to wipe cereal bits off her now soggy magazine. "I said, I had Naruto take you off missions next week so I could make sure you were home when I needed you to aide me in matters of conception," she said dryly.

"What--, I don't," Yamato gave panicky, spluttered protests, looking about wildly before his eyes settled on Kakashi, who was still calmly sitting in his chair at the kitchen table and reading his book as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. "Are you hearing this?" Yamato demanded.

Kakashi lowered his book a smidgeon, so that his droopy eye and inquiring raised eyebrow were visible over the rim of his literature of choice.

Yamato narrowed his eyes. "You're telling me you're completely ok with this, you're just going to sit there and not object to any of," Yamto flailed a bit, waving to encompass the room, "this."

Aiko snorted, "Yamato, really, think back the last month. How many nights have you spent in our bed?"

Yamato opened his mouth to snap a retort along the lines of 'not that many,' and then realized that 17 out of 31 days was really more than 50%, statistically speaking. He snapped his mouth shut and flushed, he hadn't realized he'd been imposing on them that much. Generally, he tried to only come over when he needed to remind himself that they were ok, that he had good reasons for taking on the missions that he did. Work had just been...demanding lately.

"You do realize I got called into a parent-teacher conference last week, because when the teacher asked the children to draw pictures of their parents, my kid drew three people and had a temper tantrum when told the drawing was wrong?" Aiko drawled, a smile tugging on her lips. "Besides, I want another one now and its really nobodies business but mine whose genetic material I choose to accomplish this. You should be flattered, yours is quite prime."

Yamato looked at Kakashi, flummoxed. "Was this how she was last time?"

Kakashi shrugged, "pretty much." 

Huh, thought Yamato, still blushing. "You already have a significant other who is perfectly capable of providing you with children, Aiko," Yamato insisted. The last thing he wanted to do was get between them. 

Kakashi gave an indulgent wave, as if to indicate his indifference to that argument and consent to the bizarre scenario.

Aiko rolled her eyes and got up to throw her ruined magazine away. She paused as she passed him, bending over to push back his hair with her free hand and placing a kiss on his forehead. "I have two," she whispered, before standing back up and taking his dishes to the sink. She winked at his flabbergasted expression, and then turned her attention to the dishes. "We're going to have so much fun next week!" She called out loudly over the sound of running water, voice teasing.

Yamoto turned redder than he ever had in his life, and slumped down in his chair to avoid Kakashi's laughing gaze. 

"Wait," said Yamato, a thought coming to him suddenly, "Did you tell Naruto why you wanted me to be taken off mission duty?"

Aiko's answering smile made him want to melt into a puddle. He was never going to be able to look his military leader straight in the eyes again.


End file.
